‘The Avengers 2′ Adding Another Villain to the Mix
'The Avengers 2,' officially titled 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron,' will see a few new faces joining the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and, of course, Ultron himself. But is Marvel Studios planning on adding another more secretive baddie to liven things up other than the near indestructible super robot?
According to Latino Review, Marvel is currently on the hunt for an actor to portray Baron Von Strucker, a comic book villain rooted in the evil HYDRA organization that played a big part in the first 'Captain America' movie. A leader of HYDRA and a master swordsman and marksman, Strucker is able to rapidly heal and theoretically live forever as a result of carrying within him a deadly virus.
As HitFix reports, Strucker will be the first major threat to The Avengers in the film, comparing him more to one of those preliminary James Bond baddies 007 usually takes care of in a pre-credits sequence: "He does not have a major ongoing role in the film, but he is responsible for bringing Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch into contact with the Avengers in the first place, since they start the film working either with or [against] the Baron."
Marton Csokas ('Rogue,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2') and Dougray Scott (Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove,' 'My Week With Marilyn') are said to be Marvel's favorites to take on this role, though it's not confirmed whether the studio has entered talks with either.
'The Avengers 2' will be directed and written by Joss Whedon, and will see James Spader voicing the title villain Ultron, Aaron Taylor-Johnson assuming the role of super-speedster Quicksilver and Elizabeth Olsen tackling the Scarlet Witch. As Latino Review points out, these two superhero siblings find themselves in Von Strucker's employ in the comics.
'The Avengers 2' will begin production in early 2014 for release on May 1, 2015.